Hello, everyone!

[megan49]

My name is megan, and i'm a newbie to this site. Islander and i met on the Internet and then in real life. You can meet some of the nicest people online!

Anyhow, she told me about this site, so here i am.

I'm currently working as a medical writer, although i feel very much like the proverbial canary in the pharmaceutical coal mine.

I eat as clean as i can, and am becoming more focused on doing what i can to have a more successful garden this year. Last year, the deer and maybe even moose discovered my garden in an old asparagus bed that i tried reviving. I gave up on the asparagus, and planted some other plants in it last year. The asparagus then decided it would come back. Just enough to show promise, not enough to harvest.

The deer left the asparagus and tomatoes, but ate all the kale except three leaves, all the peppers, and most of the scarlet runner bean plants. The plants recovered a bit, when the deer would come back through and munch again.

Earlier attempts in another garden spot in my yard had me battling the largest slugs I've ever seen. They denuded a nearly 6 ft/2m tall rhubarb plant. sigh. The rhubarb plant is back for another season.

I"m sure the first while i'm here, i'm going to be like a sponge.

[Julieanne]

Hello Megan, welcome to HH. "I"m sure the first while i'm here, i'm going to be like a sponge." I felt exactly the same when I first joined, and spent hours reading old posts. Happy reading!

What qualifications does someone need to be a medical writer? Are you freelance or do you work for a particular publication?

[grulla]

Hello "megan49" and welcome to Hawkes Health website forum. I see you appear to live near the Atlantic Ocean, the one thing I miss living today in NM, as I had grown up in NJ and had always enjoyed salt water fishing and summertime beach visits there. I also see you have grown the grapevine-like Scarlet Runner beans, something my late wife and I had experimented with, in hopes of developing a perennial bean crop, something that is unheard of here in higher elev. NM, as the winters are still too cold and challenging for success. And if successful, the perennial runner bean plants are said to only live to be 7 years old. Best..."grulla" (Sp: groo-yah)

[Islander]

Why Megan, I didn't realize it was you! Welcome to HH! I'm so glad to see you jump right in — we have 329 members, and roughly 80-85 users on line at any time, day or night, but very few active members. With your background, I'm sure you'll have a lot to contribute to the conversations.

A trick I used only once but it worked: I staked out the perimeter of the garden with posts, sticks, anything you can stick in the ground; it only needs to be sturdy at the corners. Then string 10-lb test fishing line all around, at several levels. Deer could jump it but they don't. Perhaps they've had experience with electric fence? Anyway, they respected it and I had no predation in that garden. Hope you have better luck this year!

[Maurya]

Welcome to the forum Megan49. No one of us knows everything; this is the great thing about this forum, there is something new to learn every day.

[bmc65]

Welcome.

[highlander]

Hi Megan. Welcome to HH. It's a great resource.
I'd be so bummed about the asparagus. I think I could eat my weight in asparagus, but we'll never know.

[megan49]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Julieanne, i work for CRO or clinical research organization. There are many CROs, all of whom work with pharmaceutical companies in one way or another. As a medical writer, i look at data from clinical trials and write reports that go to various health agencies, FDA, EMA, Health Canada. I've also had to work on other documents that are part of the process of getting drugs to market or writing documents to support a new use for a currently approved drug.

Many places want the writer to have an advanced degree or a strong science degree and work experience that translates well. I have a liberal arts degree and got into the industry because a neighbour up the street's brother had a small CRO and needed help writing reports. He figured i could do a lot of the generic stuff, and he'd work on the heavy science discussion stuff, so that's how i got in. I've learned a lot since then.

Islander, yes, it's me! LOL I did use fishing twine around the garden part that had the rhubarb, and you're right, the deer and moose left that alone. The slugs didn't. I'll have to try that same trick with the asparagus bed garden and see if it works. Highlander, they didn't eat the asparagus, most of that was feathery by the time they thought there was a new tapas place. I do need to ID the ferns in the way back part of my yard, because they *might* be fiddleheads. If so, i'll be a very happy girl.

Grulla, i've always treated my emperor beans as annuals. I just think the beans are so pretty, and the hummingbirds love the red flowers; i've never thought about them being perennial. I'll bet you can grow adzuki beans by the ton in New Mexico.

[MarilynThompson]

Welcome to this board!

[Islander]

Marilyn, please start a NEW thread in this forum and tell us something about yourself. Do you have a chronic illness or specific health concern? We'd all like to chime in and welcome you!